


Growing Up is Hard to Do

by queenofthepuddingbrains



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: And an unrealistic view of Steve Rogers, Captain America: Civil War Trailer, Gen, JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER!!!, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Post-Battle of Sokovia, Tony Stark Has Daddy Issues, Why do they have to fight?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-11
Updated: 2016-03-11
Packaged: 2018-05-26 01:00:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6217303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenofthepuddingbrains/pseuds/queenofthepuddingbrains
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some introspective musings on Tony's head space post-Ultron and leading into the Sokovia Accords and the events of "Captain America: Civil War"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Growing Up is Hard to Do

**Author's Note:**

> This is one of the many feels that the new "Civil War" trailer gave to me today. Given that it was slightly more coherent than the others, I thought I'd share.

Tony managed to keep up a brave face, saying goodbye to Thor and Steve at the new Avengers facility.  A few quips here, a smirk or two there, grand exit, nothing he hasn’t managed to do a million times before.

But, later, when he’s alone, it’s harder.  He can’t get the whole Sokovia mess out of his mind.  Even with Pepper ordering JARVIS to stage a complete embargo on all of the news footage, his inner voices are far from forgiving, making sure he doesn’t forget just how badly he fucked up.   Something from his mind, his creation, causing that much carnage and destruction. And all because he _wanted to see if he could_.  

Funny, but one of the more persistent voices is actually pretty familiar.  Steve hadn’t belabored the “I told you so” he was owed after Ultron, but Tony was sure he could see it in Steve’s eyes before they parted.  And now it was still there under his skin.  Telling him that being clever enough to cut the barbed wire didn’t count for much if you didn’t stop to think about what it might do to those still stuck in the mud.  Lodged deep someplace in the dark hollow threatening to overwhelm him, glaring reproachfully and telling him that he could’ve done better, _been better_.

As time went on, it got a little easier.  For one, Tony made good on his promise to stay out of the action, for the most part.  For another, he sat himself down and forced himself to spend some extended time at his least favorite activity--self-reflection.  And he decided it was time he took some more responsibility, considered the consequences of his actions, and all that (boring grown-up) jazz.

So, when he was first notified about the Sokovia Accords, Tony thought it would be a good next step.  Being intimately familiar with how easily good intentions coupled with excess resources and power can go horribly awry, he actually felt kind of comforted there would be something to hold them back next time.

Heading back to the Avengers facility for a meeting on the subject, Tony was prepared for the shocked look on Steve’s face when he announced that he was going to support the initiative too.  Hell, maybe Captain America would even be a little bit proud of him.  He _was_ the one who’d been telling him for years to be more responsible and play better with others after all.  And Tony would be lying if he said a small part of him, perpetually 7 and dressed as his father’s favorite hero for Halloween, didn’t relish that though.

If nothing else, Tony knew his friend was going to be shocked that he had agreed, _for once,_ to simply fall in line.

It never even occurred to him to consider that the good Captain wouldn’t.

And yet, suddenly, there they were.  On opposite sides of the issue.  Again.  And Steve was looking at him, like _Tony_  had done something disappointing. Again.

Tony allowed himself a moment of sheer gob-smacked incredulity.  And then he  marshaled his typical Stark(C) bravado and cynicism, falling back on old defenses.

But just before the lines of the first suit of armor he’d ever built slammed shut, Tony allowed himself one more, wistful, thought:

“ _Figures I’ll never be able to make the guy happy.  Maybe he and Dad really did have something in common after all.”_


End file.
